My Poor Planning... Is Your Plight
Well, my laundry is done, applaud me that. Otherwise, I am the opposite of prepared for my trip tomorrow. I haven't packed and I haven't even decided what luggage to use. I know this can be done tomorrow before my afternoon flight - just the same, I feel rather shamelessly unprepared considering that today yielded no productive acts. I just didn't do a thing today, including print out phone numbers or itinearies or anything. I am at the same time, very excited and blase (since I can't make accents, read that as blaz-eh). I guess more so than excited, I am really anxious because it is like a garbage dump truck of new things in a short period of time... but it is also just a lot of new systems - like buses, I've never had an apartment nor been a grad student before - mix that in with having to meet new people, teachers, and a school at least 10x the size of my undergrad college, I am just overwhelmed. Plus, I guess the timing couldn't be better or worse. I need something to get me going, a kick start to make and save money, the reality of it all. At the same time, I feel sluggish, boring, and overly ordinary. I find that being home with nothing brewing or nothing new or interesting, it has a way of wearing you down and forgetting that you'd done great incredible things - it makes you feel self-conscious, lazy, and average. In a perfect world, I'd be feeling a little more secure or over-confident, rather than on the verge of drowning, going into a completely new situation. Everything will get packed and done (because it always does) but there's already a lot on tomorrow's to-do list.
I feel like I need to comment on American Idol because that is what I do on Tuesdays and I am sure that is what you expect from me. Plain and simple, tonight's show sucked. The disco theme was stupid. The special guest, a silky-haired sketcho from Earth Wind and Fire stuck in Detroit stylins' ala 1976, continued on the downward spiral of all of the "special" judges. I also think it was strange that this guy played dumb and acted completely ignorant - saying things like, "This is the first time I have ever seen you..." Frankly, if you don't watch the show enough to know a little about the performers, why go on it anyway? free publicity? First of all, I don't think any Idol die-hards are going to suddenly pick up EWF records with a new esteem simply because he added nothing to a crappy episode in April. Secondly, I'll get onto the performances next (but because they were so karokey-mediocre, the sub-text was much more interesting), I think that Simon was out of line tonight. The last few weeks, he shows up, smug, arms crossed and continually unimpressed. I feel like he sits there, in his self-important cheap plain t-shirt, just thinking, time is money, this is wasting my time and my money. He hasn't liked the theme recently, he doesn't really like any of the performers (except for Ruben, and it's impossible not to love him), and tonight I think he made an out of line comment that might come back to nip him in the snoody ass. I think the only two performers worth noting tonight were Ruben and, a revived from the dead, Kimberely Locke. Ruben was smooth as ever, only sealing his title as AI 2. Kimberely had a few tough weeks, but I think she's been steadily climbing, and tonight, unlike so many others, she
brought it. But anyway, tonight, Kimberely came out and did a very good / strong voiced job of singing "It's Raining Men." Randy and Paula gave her the thumbs up, and Simon quipped back, "You just did a very good rendition of Ryan Seacrest's favorite song." Okay, tlately, here are lots of strange, homoerotic inuendoes about the dashing denim-clad host. I feel like no good can come of this though. If Ryan is gay, and I don't think he is, then I think Simon's comment is really dicey and should be read by the gay community as an unnecessary potshot. If he is gay, it is not Simon's place to mock him or out him. Please chime in and let me know what you think. I think Ryan often makes fun of Simon, but it is usually for his attitude or a specific comment, whereas, Simon usually lashes back with something broad, questioning Ryan's masculinity or sexuality. Maybe I read into this deeper than I should, but tell me if you think the comment was unfair to Kim (she didn't get her feedback) and really just flat out inappropriate. He's been so lukewarm lately, I wouldn't mind voting Simon off. When he's honest and sassy, I am Simon's biggest fan - but lately I feel like he's not even a fan of the show. My prediciton for tonight's bottom three: Rickey is going home, but I think at least one of the blondes (fake-haired Carmen or Kim) will be there, and Josh had an off night choosing the most cliche wedding and bar mizvah song, "Celebration" (but I think the miliary vote will keep him in for at least one more week).
Apart from a lousy theme, lousy costumes, and not even the prime selection of disco tunes, what about tonight's other big Idol concern, Corey Clark's abusive past?? Unlike Frenchie who never got the opportunity to offer her side of the story, Corey got 30 seconds to ramble about a pretty hefty charge that he denies doing - not only roughing up a 15yr old sister but also sending four cops to jail or something, it was unclear and he was unconvincing. With the exception of his cool spin move on Motown week, I never liked this one. I think he sings in an eerie register, his clothes (like last week's gym class surplus pinney) are often kind of Prince and the New Power Generation yardsale look, and I think in general, he doesn't do it for me. My sister tells me that he has a cult following, but I don't worship this false, and now eliminated idol.
For the next few days, I need to switch hats from reality tv to film - or I might find myself switching departments from film to media culture and writing my disseration on Survivor. Although I have traded away some of the pretention glued to visual art by shifting to the moving image, I think there is a big switch to be made in giving up film for television cultural studies. For the time being, I'll stick with my silver screen. I actually got an email today from my Chinese Cinema professor that just made my day. It was really a special class last spring and I am glad to hear that he still thinks about it and misses it as much as I do. This class definitely had an influence in my decision to go onto grad school in film - and it cultivated my strong interest in Chinese film. In addition to a great repitoire of film and a wonderful introduction to Chinese culture, I have to credit the Professor with being a great example. My Professor came to things Chinese in a strange way. He spent his life as a literature guy, went to journalism school - then went to China as an adult, learned the language, got the Ph.D. and starting teaching Chinese language and culture and then film as a spin-off of other classes. I think film, as an academic interest, really is the icing on the cake of a very full and interesting life - and he always brought that to teaching. For that reason, it might remain that my favorite film class was taught by a "fan" rather than any type of trained academic.
I have lots on my plate for tomorrow and I'd like to be rested. I'll check in again when I have time, but it might not be until late Sunday night or Monday. Behave.
posted by lmjasinski at 11:36 PM
